So, it now looks like (2 Viewers)

[Astute]

I think many fit into that category to be fair. Not many would've foreseen such a transformation this season and no one had the foresight to say how good Armstrong would've turned out or how influential Ricketts or Vincelot would be. My last game last season was Crewe at home. I was certainly expecting a tough season and it's not a case of 'moaning' at dropped points. More disappointment. That's not a bad thing.

Games like Swindon away could be the difference between automatic promotion and the lottery of the play offs.

Before the season started I said I expected us to be top 6 and with a good season top 2. I also said how well Armstrong could do after seeing reports about him. I also mentioned about how important players like Ricketts and Vancelot would be and also how important it is to have a manager like TM.

And all I got for this was being called deluded at best as many saw us as being closer to the bottom than top. Now these same people are having a go at our bad run of 1 league defeat since September. And as we all know it shouldn't have been a defeat. Everything went against us including the decisions from the officials.

We are now half way through the season. 4 points off the top and 7 points ahead of 5th. We have suffered bad injuries to important players. We have done well to keep near the top. The teams above us have a long time to stay injury free to their important players. We have only lost 1 league game in the last 3 months. Not bad for what some are saying is a bad run. If we can do the same in the next 3 months we should be looking good for promotion.

 

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[Otis]

Before the season started I said I expected us to be top 6 and with a good season top 2. I also said how well Armstrong could do after seeing reports about him. I also mentioned about how important players like Ricketts and Vancelot would be and also how important it is to have a manager like TM.

And all I got for this was being called deluded at best as many saw us as being closer to the bottom than top. Now these same people are having a go at our bad run of 1 league defeat since September. And as we all know it shouldn't have been a defeat. Everything went against us including the decisions from the officials.

We are now half way through the season. 4 points off the top and 7 points ahead of 5th. We have suffered bad injuries to important players. We have done well to keep near the top. The teams above us have a long time to stay injury free to their important players. We have only lost 1 league game in the last 3 months. Not bad for what some are saying is a bad run. If we can do the same in the next 3 months we should be looking good for promotion.

Pre-season I predicted 7th, but that was because I believed that injuries would hurt us, as the squad wasn't big enough or strong enough.

I now definitely believe we are strong enough and we will make the top 6, barring a disaster ( losing Armstrong and not being able to adequately replace him, losing Vincelot or Fleck to injury, or not filling the centre back position with a player of quality).

We stay clear of major injuries to key players, I say we will be top 6.

 

[Astute]

Pre-season I predicted 7th, but that was because I believed that injuries would hurt us, as the squad wasn't big enough or strong enough.

I now definitely believe we are strong enough and we will make the top 6, barring a disaster ( losing Armstrong and not being able to adequately replace him, losing Vincelot or Fleck to injury, or not filling the centre back position with a player of quality).

We stay clear of major injuries to key players, I say we will be top 6.

We have had major injuries since the start of the 4th game of the season. And will have until the end of the season because of Reda. We will have to see what happens next month and then a lot of it will come down to injuries to all the other clubs as well as ours.

 

[Otis]

We have had major injuries since the start of the 4th game of the season. And will have until the end of the season because of Reda. We will have to see what happens next month and then a lot of it will come down to injuries to all the other clubs as well as ours.

We did indeed have injuries early on. TM strengthened the squad though from pre-season. Hopefully our bout of bad injuries is at an end and it's someone else's turn.

 

[davebart]

The difference appears to be that TM appears to get effort from loanees that other managers don't. Too often they do not come off. We have benefitted from players that will eventually play at a higher level. In the past that hasn't happened.
Now being realistic we are in a very strong position to finish in the top six and hopefully higher. I think it would be fantastic for city fans to go to Wembley for a play off final, but knowing our luck I hope we prove too strong for any of the clubs currently above us. Remember none are big clubs with huge resources. We are the big boys here and they will all be wary of us.

 

[Astute]

The difference appears to be that TM appears to get effort from loanees that other managers don't. Too often they do not come off. We have benefitted from players that will eventually play at a higher level. In the past that hasn't happened.
Now being realistic we are in a very strong position to finish in the top six and hopefully higher. I think it would be fantastic for city fans to go to Wembley for a play off final, but knowing our luck I hope we prove too strong for any of the clubs currently above us. Remember none are big clubs with huge resources. We are the big boys here and they will all be wary of us.

We have a top 10 budget. Maybe top 6. Sheff Utd are bigger than us and with more resources than us for starters. But yes TM is the big advantage that we have.

 

[thewards5579]

No game is a 'must win', provided you win every other game.

Every game should be approached as a must win, thats the hallmark of a team of champions

Sent from my Harrier Mini from EE using Tapatalk

 

[RegTheDonk]

The difference appears to be that TM appears to get effort from loanees that other managers don't. Too often they do not come off. We have benefitted from players that will eventually play at a higher level. In the past that hasn't happened.
Now being realistic we are in a very strong position to finish in the top six and hopefully higher. I think it would be fantastic for city fans to go to Wembley for a play off final, but knowing our luck I hope we prove too strong for any of the clubs currently above us. Remember none are big clubs with huge resources. We are the big boys here and they will all be wary of us.

Certainly he seems to be getting the best out of some of the loans - hopefully good leverage that their parent club will want him to keep it up so they get a well rounded player. I have no knowledge why, but could just speculate that TM is able to communicate well with the players, on a level that is comfortable to them and shows them respect whilst also commanding respect back. Perhaps this was why Elvis didn't get the best out of his loans or staff players, I imagine him bawling orders with no flexibility, though I have no foundation to these assumptions.

A day at Wembley would fantastic, agreed, but I'd rather no have to go through the potential pain of having things go tits up when it comes to the crunch. Lets hope our luck turns in the next couple of games and we actually get the rub of the green and the reffing decisions - and get a top two spot.

 

[davebart]

I think we are better than Sheff Utd this season.

And anyway I was talking about the teams above us.